LUNCHEON IN THE COCK-PIT
Iron ballast should be coal-tarred, painted, or white-washed with hot lime.
Masts and spars should be scraped and sand-papered. If there are any cracks in them, they should be stopped with marine glue before scraping. Apply a coat of wood-filler, then a coat of spar composition. When hard, give a second coat. Never apply varnish when there is much moisture in the atmosphere. In the vicinity of New York, wait till the wind is northwest if you wish to secure the best and most brilliant results.
If your boat is white, when repainting don't forget to mix a little blue with your white lead, raw linseed oil and dryers. This cerulean dash improves the look of the paint, and is far better than black, which produces a ghastly tint.
SCOWING AN ANCHOR.
When for any purpose it becomes necessary or desirable to anchor a small boat on ground known, or suspected, to be foul, it is advisable to scow the anchor. Unbend the cable from the ring; make the end fast round the crown shank and flukes with a clove hitch, and bring the end a back to s, and stop it round the cable with a piece of spunyarn; take the cable back to the shackle and stop it as at b. When the cable is hauled upon by the part o, the stop at b will part and the fluke of the anchor can be easily broken out and lifted. For larger vessels a trip-line is sometimes bent to the crown and buoyed instead of scowing the anchor.
A capital composition for painting the bottoms of boats up to the water-line is made as follows: Take one pound of red lead, four ounces of copper bronze powder, the same weights of arsenic, chrome yellow and paris blue, one pint of dryers, one pint of boiled oil and one pint of copal varnish. Mix thoroughly, strain and apply. If too thick add more varnish. It will dry a rich copper color. It is neither barnacle nor weed proof, but is as good as some of the more expensive paints which pretend to possess both these qualities. Before painting, scrub the wood well and smooth down with pumice stone. Let it thoroughly dry before you begin to use the brush.
A good black paint for the outside of boats is made thus: To six pounds of best black paint add one pound of dark blue paint and half a pint of dryers. Mix with equal quantities of raw and boiled linseed oil until of the proper consistency. Stir well. Strain carefully, and then add one pint of copal varnish.
To stop cracks in a spar: When the spar is thoroughly dry run in marine glue. When the glue is hard scrape some of it out and stop the crevice with putty stained the same color as the spar.